ALPINE SKIING, WORLD CUP. USA's Lindsey Vonn nailed her third overall World Cup title in most convincing manner today at Garmisch-Partenkirchen: winning the last super-G race of the season in which her main rival Maria Riesch came in 4th.

Lindsey Vonn of the United States holds the trophies of the alpine ski, Women's World Cup super-G and downhill discipline titles, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, Friday, March 12, 2010.(AP Photo/Armando Trovati)

The skier from Vail, Colorado established a new US victory record on the World Cup tour with her 33rd triumph - her 11th this season. She tied for the season wins with other all-time greats such as Austria's Annemarie Moser-Proell, a six-time Overall World Cup champion, and Sweden's Anja Paerson, who clinched the big crystal globe twice. Only Switzerland's Vreni Schneider did better in 1989 with an impressive total of 14 wins.

Lindsey Vonn of the United States speeds down the course on her way to win an alpine ski, Women's World Cup super-G, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, Friday, March 12, 2010. Vonn has won her third straight overall World Cup title. The American, who won the final super-G of the season Friday, also picked up titles in the downhill, the super-G and the combined events. Vonn became the first woman to win three straight overall titles since Petra Kronberger of Austria in 1990-92.(AP Photo/Elvis Piazzi)

Vonn, starting last, attacked the course with her usual reckless determination to beat Austria's Elisabeth Goergl by 16/100 of a second and Switzerland's Nadia Styger by half a second. Anja Paerson was a respectable 5th ahead of Slovenia's Tina Maze, in 6th despite strong pains in her back.

"She was not supposed to start today in case Maria could not finish 1st or 2nd because she felt so much pain in her leg which she injured yesterday in her crash," husband Thomas Vonn explained afterwards. "But then she came back to me and said she felt OK and that she wanted to win that 33rd World Cup race and establish a new best US mark," the former US Ski Team racer added.

"That's the way she is - always going for it - even when it doesn't really matter anymore."

The downhill Olympic champion was definitely very proud of her latest achievement, coming back with amazing determination from another spectacular crash in Thursday's giant slalom. "It's for sure a special win for me, I skied hard and gave what I had in me to get down that slope as fast as I could," she told the press afterwards.

"It's so important to me. The overall title is one of the biggest things you can win in our sport. I always try to give my best every day, but it's a long season," also said Vonn, who had already clinched the super-G title at St Moritz two weeks prior to the Olympics. "The last few years have gone really well for me. It's so hard to say whether you'll be able to win the big globe. To stand here in the finish and have a title in my hand is so rewarding."

"I was so nervous because the overall title was on the line. To win the last race of the season and to break the U.S. record of 32 World Cup wins - I'm so happy. I'm ecstatic," Vonn added. "It's been an amazing season - and definitely a long season - but I'm so happy that I was able to ski well today and come through. Having the overall title is so rewarding and I am so happy."

"I knew what place Maria was in, so I knew it was already secured. But I still wanted to go out there and have a good end to the season," the 25-year-old also commented. "I'm just really happy I had a good run and was able to end the season well."

According to a US leader, having a course set that was familiar on a race day plagued with tricky snow was also a key factor in her win. "Our coach Alex Hoedlmoser set the course and I definitely think he set it to our strengths as a team. The snow conditions weren't holding up as well as I would have liked and I was the last person to start, so I knew exactly what was going on," she explained.

In the end, Lindsey Vonn was happy to accomplish so much this year, and said it did not come without the help of many. "It means the world to me. If you had asked me at the beginning of the season if I'd have been able to do that, I would have said 'not likely.' It takes a lot of hard work, not only by me, but from the team, from U.S. Ski Team coaches, from my husband, from Red Bull and my ski company Head," the skier from Minnesota said.

"It's everyone working together to make as successful a season as possible and I couldn't do it without them."

On the eve of another season's end, Vonn also reflected on the success of her team and what they have to look forward to. "I am really happy with the season as a whole for our entire team. We've had some amazing successes," she said. "The U.S. is definitely a major force on the World Cup and in the Olympics and I'm really looking forward to next season and the World Championships back here in Garmisch-Partenkirchen."

Lindsey also explained that she aims to compete at least until 2015 with the desire to establish or break new records. "Hopefully Vail Valley will organize the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships and it would be great to end my career on the slopes where I spent so much time when I was younger," she said. "In the meantime there are plenty of other opportunities to achieve special performances, starting here with the 2011 Worlds. They should be very exciting with Maria Riesch fighting for more gold medals too. There are other Olympic medals to fight for in 2014 and I will also try to get one or two more overall titles. It will not be easy because there are more and more good skiers out there."

Lindsey scored nearly 1700 points during her strongest World Cup season ever - not too far from the record of 1970 set by Croatia's Janica Kostelic in 2006. "I could have come closer with less crashes this year, but it's definitely something I can focus on in coming years just to stay motivated during the long period of summer training," the American commented.

In Saturday's slalom, Maria Riesch will try hard to clinch her second consecutive slalom globe. The Bavarian was not too disappointed to have missed her last chance to fight for the overall globe a day before the last race. "I'm a little disappointed not to have reached another podium today, it would have been cool the get a third one I a row here," Riesch told the press. "I know where I eventually lost the race, I didn't ski so well in one of the last turns and I lost all my speed there. Lindsey fully deserves her overall title, she's had a fantastic season. I'm pleased with my own results too - especially the fact that I did so well in all events. And of course my two Olympic gold medals."

Austria's Marlies Schild and France's Sandrine Aubert will give their best to battle with Riesch for the slalom World Cup title on the steep and demanding slalom slope on Gudiberg.

PkL
FISalpine.com
12 March 2010

Elisabeth Goergl of Austria competes during an alpine ski, Women's World Cup super-G, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, Friday, March 12, 2010. Goergl finished in second place.(AP Photo/Elvis Piazzi)

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